Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Names William P. Matt as New Chief Financial
Officer
Business Wire
ATLANTA -- August 21, 2014
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLKI), the franchisor and operator of
Popeyes® restaurants, today announced that William P. Matt will be joining the
Popeyes executive team as Chief Financial Officer, effectively immediately.
Reporting to Chief Executive Officer, Cheryl Bachelder, Mr. Matt will oversee
the Company’s financial matters and lead the Company’s efforts in determining
and implementing the most effective strategies for Popeyes to accelerate its
long-term growth potential and maximize shareholder value.
“The addition of Will as our new CFO brings a strong complement to our
leadership team as we execute our strategic roadmap for growth around the
globe,” said Ms. Bachelder. “Will’s broad, relevant experience in leading
growth at evolving brands will be instrumental in Popeyes’ continued success.
Spanning beyond finance to real estate, technology and operations, Will’s
experience collaborating in cross-discipline teams makes him a strong cultural
fit for Popeyes, and we are pleased to have him join our Company.”
Mr. Matt joins Popeyes with experience in both the retail and food service
industries. He most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of La Senza
Global, an arm of L Brands Inc., based in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Matt also served
as Chief Financial Officer of Victoria Secret Direct while at L Brands, Inc.
Prior to his 14 years with L Brands, Mr. Matt spent nine years at PepsiCo/KFC,
culminating as Vice President, Planning.
“Over the last several years, Cheryl and her team have transformed Popeyes
into one of the most significant brands in the QSR space,” said Mr. Matt.
“With the momentum the brand has established, the Company is poised to achieve
new levels of success for its stakeholders and I am proud to be part of this
executive team.”
Mr. Matt completed his undergraduate work at Colgate University, and received
an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Corporate Profile
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. is the franchisor and operator of Popeyes®
restaurants, the world's second-largest quick-service chicken concept based on
number of units. As of July 13, 2014, Popeyes had 2,262 operating restaurants
in the United States, three territories, and 26 foreign countries. The
Company’s primary objective is to deliver sales and profits by offering
excellent investment opportunities in its Popeyes brand and providing
exceptional franchisee support systems and services to its owners. Popeyes
Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. can be found at www.popeyes.com.
Forward-Looking Statement: Certain statements in this Press Release contain
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities
laws. Statements regarding future events and developments and our future
performance, as well as management’s current expectations, beliefs, plans,
estimates or projections relating to the future, are forward-looking
statements within the meaning of these laws. These forward-looking statements
are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Examples of such
statements in this Press Release include discussions regarding the Company’s
planned implementation of its strategic plan, planned share repurchases,
projections and expectations regarding same-store sales for fiscal 2014 and
beyond, expectations regarding future growth and commodity costs, expectations
regarding restaurant reimaging, guidance for new restaurant openings and
closures, effective income tax rate, and the Company’s anticipated 2014 and
long-term performance, including projections regarding general and
administrative expenses, capital expenditures and adjusted earnings per
diluted share, and similar statements of belief or expectation regarding
future events. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are:
competition from other restaurant concepts and food retailers, continued
disruptions in the financial markets, the loss of franchisees and other
business partners, labor shortages or increased labor costs, increased costs
of our principal food products, changes in consumer preferences and
demographic trends, as well as concerns about health or food quality,
instances of avian flu or other food-borne illnesses, general economic
conditions, the loss of senior management and the inability to attract and
retain additional qualified management personnel, limitations on our business
under our 2013 Credit Facility, our ability to comply with the repayment
requirements, covenants, tests and restrictions contained in our 2013 Credit
Facility, failure of our franchisees, a decline in the number of franchised
units, a decline in our ability to franchise new units, slowed expansion into
new markets, unexpected and adverse fluctuations in quarterly results,
increased government regulation, effects of volatile gasoline prices, supply
and delivery shortages or interruptions, currency, economic and political
factors that affect our international operations, inadequate protection of our
intellectual property and liabilities for environmental contamination and the
other risk factors detailed in the Company’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K
and other documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking
statements.
Contact:
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc.
Investor inquiries:
Rebecca Gardy, 404-459-4673
Director, Finance & Investor Relations
investor.relations@popeyes.com
or
Media inquiries:
Todd Burke, 404-459-4737
VP, Corporate Communications
todd.burke@popeyes.com
or
Coltrin & Associates
Jennifer Webb, 212-221-1616
Jennifer_webb@coltrin.com